


Of Stolen Blankets and Illicit Picnics

by Nightfox



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, PWP
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-11
Updated: 2012-09-11
Packaged: 2017-11-14 00:19:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/509324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightfox/pseuds/Nightfox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gwaine persuades Merlin to ditch his duties to go on a picnic. Merlin knows Gwaine will make the experience worth all the trouble he'll be in when he returns...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Stolen Blankets and Illicit Picnics

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this way back in January for [Gwaine_Quest's](http://gwaine-quest.livejournal.com/) **Jamuary Challenge** on LJ then fell ill and forgot about it! Someone recently reminded me of its existence so I decided to go ahead and post it.
> 
> **Orginal Note:** Don't bother looking for a plot, there really isn't one! This is completely unbeta'd as I am delivering it just under the wire. Been having difficulty staying awake long enough to get this written! So my abject apologies for any mistakes I've made. Also, major apologies for the lame title, I utterly fail at titles! 
> 
> (It's still unbeta'd so please forgive it's roughness!)

**iYiYiYi**

“Come on Merlin. The Princess can do without you for one afternoon. Admit it, you could use a break!”

“Shouldn’t you be calling him ‘Queen’ now?”

“Nah, he’s still a princess. A pretty, pretty, _spoiled_ little princess and he always will be.”

“He’ll think I’ve gone to the tavern again.”

“Perfect! Then he’ll have no idea where to look for you!”

Merlin hesitated. On one hand, he really didn’t want to annoy Arthur any more than he already had this week. The King was still holding the ever ready and ever present threat of George over his manservant’s head. On the other hand, Gwaine was giving him the puppy-dog eyes and it had been so long since Merlin had done anything _anyone_ would classify as fun….not even George.

As if sensing Merlin waver, Gwaine enticingly shook the basket he held in his hand.

“You should see what I’ve got in here!”

“Four dozen pickled eggs?”

Gwaine wrinkled his nose but grinned at the memory of polishing ranks upon ranks of boots.

“Not hardly, much better than some smelly old eggs!”

“Yeah, like what?”

“If you want to find out you have to come with me and see for yourself.”

Biting his lip, Merlin shifted his feet and thought hard. Chores, chores, more chores and no thanks from Arthur or sunshine, warm Spring air, delicious food and a few hours of Gwaine’s undivided attention…with punishment from Arthur to follow. Really, neither option was flaw free. However, if he went with Gwaine, he’d at least be assured of a decent meal _and_ if he was lucky, there might just be more than food on the agenda!

“Who packed the basket, you?”

“Nell down in the kitchen. She filched all the best bits right out from under Audrey’s piggy little nose!”

Picturing the furious fit the head cook was likely to pitch if she discovered the pilferage decided Merlin. A basket from the royal kitchen packed by the first undercook was sure to beat anything he could scrounge up for his own lunch.

“Alright but you’re taking the blame if Audrey finds out. She already hates me enough as it is!”

“Done! So let’s get out of here before the Princess returns and corrals you into performing more useless tasks for his amusement.”

They snuck through the palace like naughty children, hiding behind pillars and snickering into their hands. Gwaine tiptoed from one hiding place to the next in an outrageously exaggerated manner and Merlin found himself hard pressed to suppress his giggles. The handsome rogue grinned and threw a wink over his shoulder as he came up behind one of the palace’s most notoriously clueless guards.

To Merlin’s delight, the knight snuck right up to the man’s back and then swung left and then right as the predictable man searched for a foe he could dimly sense but couldn’t find. Gwaine ducked low as the puzzled buffoon glanced behind him and the guard scratched his head as if bewildered. Unable to entirely suppress his laughter, Merlin squeaked tellingly and the foolish guard’s attention swung his way. When he stalked toward the mage’s hiding place, Gwaine matched him step for halting step and continued to elude the man when he twisted his heavy head side to side like an increasingly annoyed mastiff.

Merlin threw caution to the wind and recklessly sent forth a small surge of magic to ruffle a tapestry on the far side of the hall. When the guard spun around to investigate the movement he came face to face with a grinning Gwaine who shouted to Merlin.

“Run!”

Giggling helplessly, Merlin complied and sprinted down the hall as fast as his long, skinny legs could carry him. Gwaine was right behind him, calling back over his shoulder to the bewildered guard.

“Sorry, mate! Just keeping you on your toes! Can’t be too careful with security and all!”

Abandoning any pretense of stealth, the pair ran down the long corridors until they burst through a door that opened on the courtyard just a few feet from the Royal Stables. The horses nickered and stamped a bit as the two men dashed through, intent on reaching the postern gate and attaining the freedom of the woods that lay on the other side. Merlin paused just long enough to grab a folded blanket from a pile near the door before he scampered out, close on Gwaine’s heels.

He reached the gate and upon producing key from beneath his tunic, it was Merlin’s turn to wink and grin at Gwaine as he opened the gate with a flourish.

“After you, my good knight.”

“I didn’t even see you lift that!”

“You’re right, you didn’t. I have my own copy.”

“How did you manage that?”

“In case you never noticed, I am a very resourceful man.”

“It was Gwen, wasn’t it?”

Merlin grinned.

“Handy being raised by a blacksmith, no?”

Smirking, Gwaine produced his own key. Merlin arched an eyebrow in an uncanny imitation of Gaius.

The knight’s voice was positively smug, “Very handy indeed!”

“Elyan?”

“You’re not the only one with a blacksmith’s child for a friend!”

“You know, one of these days we really need to address the appalling state of security around here.”

“Yeah but today it’s definitely working in our favour.”

Merlin couldn’t argue with that but he was careful to lock the gate securely before they set out through the woods.

**iYiYiYi**

The remains of their illicit picnic lay all around them as they sprawled out on their pilfered blanket. The crumbs from jam tarts and Audrey’s famous crackle bread were scattered among scraps of smoked pigeon and cold roast venison. Two empty flagons, sticky with the dregs of some truly fine mead lay tilted against each other on the ground beyond the blanket. They rather resembled the tipsy pair of men pressed shoulder to shoulder lying together surrounded by a sea of fragrant wild grass. Errant grapes and tiny tomatoes lolled in the dips and wrinkles of the rumpled wool that formed a soft, if scratchy nest for the unrepentant escapees

“She may be a foul-tempered shrew but you have to admit Audrey is a fine cook.”

Merlin snorted in agreement. The head cook was indeed a foul tempered woman, one of the few denizens of the palace who failed to be won over by either Merlin’s guileless appeal or Gwaine’s raffish charm. She remained steadfastly unpleasant to both despite years of effort on their parts to soften her up. 

“I don’t even want to know how you got Nell to filch this much food for us. If Audrey finds out she’ll use that girl’s face as a dishrag.”

“Ah, don’t you worry about it. Our Nell is a clever girl.”

Nell wasn’t the only one likely to catch hell over this little outing of theirs. Gwaine had skipped out on training for the day and Merlin had abandoned a list of chores as long as his arm to snatch these few hours of carefree bliss. They’d both be facing the King’s wrath soon enough but for the time being, Merlin was content to drowse in the somnolence that seemed to always follow in the wake of a good meal. The sun was warm on his face, the ground soft beneath their blanket and Gwaine lay close by his side. Merlin had to acknowledge that his friend had been right. He’d needed a break. 

In the wake of Morgana’s second attempt to usurp the throne of Camelot, Arthur was working harder than ever to prove to everyone around him that he _was_ fit to be King. Apparently the retrieval of an ancient king’s legendary sword from where it was stuck fast in solid rock wasn’t proof enough for Arthur that he truly was the best man for the job. Therefore he was applying himself to every kingly challenge with undue diligence. Subsequently, the harder Arthur worked, the harder Merlin wound up working.

Sighing softly, Merlin determined to put off thinking about Arthur, Camelot and their shared destiny for just a little longer. He rolled over onto his side and rose up on his elbow to look down on Gwaine. The knight was shirtless and sprawled out on his back, arms and legs spread out to absorb as much of the sun’s warmth as he could. The warlock allowed his gaze to wander over the expanse of lightly tanned skin that stretched tautly over finely carved muscle, starkly corded sinew and strong, elegant bones. There wasn’t another man in Camelot as finely made as this one.

The afternoon light gleamed in the glossy waves of his nut-brown hair and glinted off individual strands of his scruffy beard. It gilded the high arch of his cheekbones and the refined slope of his nose. Inevitably Merlin’s gaze was drawn to those finely sculpted lips. Of all the temptations laid out before him now, those lips were proving the strongest lure.

“Mer _lin_ , you’re staring.”

“You remind me of a cat laying in a sunbeam.”

“Mmmm. Smart creatures cats. They know when it’s time to work, when it’s time to play and especially when it’s time to rest.”

“You think so? The lazy things spend almost all of their time asleep.”

“They aren’t lazy, they are just very efficient at what they do. There’s no unnecessary expenditure of energy. So, with that in mind, I shall take your remark as a compliment.”

“Would you even recognize an insult if you heard one?”

“Recognition and acknowledgement are totally different things, Merlin. Don’t ever forget that. Anyway, why are we still talking? I’ve spirited you out of the castle, brought you to this wonderful, beautiful, scenic and strategically isolated place and fed you a magnificent meal fit for even the Princess himself. Are you planning on kissing me anytime this Spring?”

“Nah, I figured I’d wait till full Summer to do that.”

Despite his teasing, when Gwaine reached up, wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and gently tugged him down into an open mouthed kiss, Merlin was more than happy to let him. He settled on the broad expanse of the knight’s chest and skimmed just the tips of his fingers over the ridges of his ribcage and settled on the soft skin at his waist as their tongues met and moved against each other in a hot wet glide. 

Gwaine’s fingers were knotted in Merlin’s hair holding his head at the exact angle he wanted. Merlin groaned into his mouth, loving it when Gwaine took control like this, pushed and pulled Merlin, arranged the angle of their bodies according to _his_ personal design. Gwaine could be so very easygoing that most people missed the intensity that burned just beneath the surface but not Merlin. Gwaine loved like he fought bringing strength, grace, ingenuity and passion to bear in every slide of skin on skin.

So Merlin let Gwaine manhandle him and reveled in the feel of those strong hands lifting him as though he weighed nothing, groaned when the man slid his free hand down and pulled one of Merlin’s long legs up to bracket his waist and didn’t help when he let go of Merlin’s head to reach down and do the same with the other. He went boneless and clung when those powerful hands slid the long length of his back and pressed their bodies together from hip to chest. 

When his shirt was tugged up over his head, Merlin raised his arms obediently and allowed himself to be stripped to the waist. Gwaine tugged and pulled, pushed and pressed until Merlin’s body was clad in nothing more than the smooth expanse of his silky white skin. Merlin thoroughly enjoyed someone undressing _him_ for a change.

“You’ll just let me do whatever I want, won’t you Merlin?” Gwaine lifted him so that the younger man straddled his thighs, Merlin’s sensitive cock rubbing against the rough fabric of his trousers. The warlock moaned at the contact and rocked back and forth gently.

“And you’ll do whatever I want you to, isn’t that right?”

“Yessss!”

Taking his hands from Merlin’s waist, Gwaine unlaced his own breeches.

“Take them off me, Love. Go on.”

Hands trembling ever so slightly with mounting need Merlin tugged, pulled and peeled the fabric down Gwaine’s legs following their passage with his tongue. Swishing a winding trail over hair roughened skin he smiled when he heard the knight moan in appreciation. After he freed each leg, Merlin made the return journey in the same manner and a few minutes later was straddling Gwaine’s thighs once again. Hovering with his cock a hair’s breadth from Gwaine’s, he waited for the word before he brought their most sensitive flesh together. The word didn’t come, instead Gwaine grabbed Merlin’s small arse with both hands and dragged him forward until their straining erections rubbed together. Moans rose from both men simultaneously.

Merlin reached out and wrapped his hand around both cocks and it was soon joined by Gwaine’s, strong, sturdy fingers. The mage jerked his hips, squeezed Gwaine between his knees and began to rise and fall, rhythmically pumping his turgid prick into the rough embrace of callused palms, enjoying the sweet, silky slide against Gwaine’s tender cock-flesh.

Soon though, it wasn’t enough and Merlin began to whimper.

“What is it baby? Come on, you have to tell me.”

The warlock moaned in frustration. Gwaine knew how hard it was for Merlin to actually say it out loud. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t _do_ but he found it damn near impossible to ask for what he wanted. Gwaine had sworn he was going to change that.

“Just say it, Merlin. Come on baby, you can tell me, tell me what you want.”

Stilling his hips, he shut his eyes and bit his lip. He groaned again and bucked his hips but nothing else came out of his mouth. He tried to just back up onto Gwaine’s cock but suddenly he found his hips pinned down by strong hands.

“No, Merlin. You have to tell me what you want. Come on, it’s not like your shy in anything else, just tell me what you want me to do.”

“Please!”

“Yes?”

Please…please fuck me!”

Pulling Merlin down to kiss him, Gwaine whispered against his ear, “Yes! See, I knew you could do it.” He teased at Merlin’s hole with the tip of his thumb. “And since you asked so nicely, I think I’ll indulge you just this once. Turn around.”

Sitting upright, his movements jerky with excitement, Merlin spun around and faced away from Gwaine, rising up over his body on all fours. He felt the knight’s tongue against the small furled entrance to his body and he shrieked in surprised pleasure. Gwaine chuckled against his tender flesh and used his tongue to tease Merlin open. Then there was a thumb edging it’s way inside and then another. Gwaine pried the warlock open and held the stretch as Merlin hissed at the burn. The pale-skinned sorcerer whined and wriggled his arse desperately wanting more but he calmed down as Gwaine ate him out.

After several minutes of tongue frigging, Merlin was a quivering, jabbering, incoherent mess. He obeyed mindlessly when Gwaine pushed him forward so the muscular man could wiggle out from underneath him. When Gwaine’s hand pressed down between his shoulder blades, he dropped his face and chest down against the blanket and left his arse in the air. Then, finally, Gwaine was there, the thick head of his rigid cock spreading Merlin wide.

The initial stretch was painful and Merlin whimpered and jerked forward. Gwaine stilled and waited for Merlin’s body to adjust, to accommodate his girth. After a few moments, Merlin eased back and sighed happily.

“Now?”

“Yes, please. Now.”

Snapping his hips forward, Gwaine pressed the rest of the way home and hissed in pleasure as his hips came to rest against Merlin’s taut little ass globes. Drawing back most of the way, he snapped forward again and Merlin yelped his delight. He squeezed down on the flesh parting his and licked his lips, moaning at the burning ecstasy. His channel was on fire, so sore and sensitive that the drag of Gwaine inside him was equal parts pleasure and pain and the intensity of sensation nearly made him cry it was so good.

He reveled in each deep thrust, leaning into each, canting his hips from side to side in an attempt to screw himself further down on Gwaine’s cock with each stroke. His eyes blinking open and closed in a daze, he noted with a mental giggle that there was half a jam tart only a few inches from his face. If he wanted, he could lean over and grab a snack. He chuckled and closed his eyes again, losing himself in the bliss consuming his body.

Shifting his hips, Gwaine began to drive for Merlin’s sweet spot and found it after only a few strokes. Rising up on his elbows, Merlin pushed back harder and harder, helping Gwaine drive his cock against that sensitive little swelling inside. Mewling and whimpering he felt himself sliding forward with each powerful snap of Gwaine’s hips. The drag of his knees against the blanket began to burn so he grabbed onto the scratchy wool with both hands and held tight. Now firmly anchored each stroke of Gwaine’s cock drove deeper inside his scorching hot flesh and he felt the familiar tightening in his balls. He didn’t dare reach for himself or he knew Gwaine would fuck him right off the blanket so he just let it build. Then Gwaine was reaching around, closing a callused fist around his flesh and Merlin was spilling after just a few tugs.

Ramming his cock balls deep with one more powerful thrust, Gwaine stilled as Merlin spasmed around him. A loud, relieved sigh accompanied the pulsing Merlin could feel inside. Warmth flooded him and he smiled, his upper body collapsing against the ground again. His knight wrapped both arms around his waist and collapsed right on top of him. Merlin was happy to be pinned beneath him and only whimpered softly in disappointment when he felt Gwaine’s softening cock slip from his body.

“Greedy thing,” Gwaine chuckled against his skin.

“You know I am. I want your cock in me all day, every day. There’s never enough for my liking.”

Merlin felt the kisses against his spine and couldn’t help smiling.

“I think you’d be the death of me if we had the time to really indulge you.”

“Mmm...could be, I’ve yet to find a single man who could truly keep up with me…”

“That sounds like a challenge, Merlin.”

“Take it any way you like, Sir Gwaine but it’s simply a statement of fact.”

“Maybe you need more than one, then.”

“Maybe I do. However, right now, I’m just happy to have you.”

**iYiYiYi**

They lay like that for several more minutes before Gwaine rolled onto his back and tugged Merlin to lay against his chest. Curling into his shoulder, Merlin let himself drift off to sleep, waking several hours later as the sun began drifting low in the sky. Without speaking, they both knew it was time to return to Camelot and the reality of their lives.

Shaking out the blanket, they left the scraps for the bugs and the birds to make a meal of. They gathered plates, utensils and the empty flagons and piled it back in Nell’s basket. Gwaine hefted the much lighter container and Merlin folded the blanket and tucked it under his arm.

“Arthur’s going to kill us for shirking you know.”

“Nah, I don’t think he’ll go as far as execution. He’ll simply beat me down at training tomorrow and order me to do extra patrols. As for you? Just give him the puppy dog eyes and offer him a blow job and I think he’ll forgive you.”

Merlin's laugh choked and sputtered. “My God, Gwaine! He’d have me in the stocks for weeks if I made that suggestion!”

“Really, Merlin, you need to pay more attention. The King would leap at the chance to have those lips wrapped ‘round his cock.”

Merlin gaped at the impudent knight and shook his head in disbelief.

“Come on, Merlin! You really never noticed how much time he spends staring at your mouth?”

Merlin dropped his head and replied in a mournful tone, “Gwaine, you really need to stop drinking wood alcohol, you've so little left of your brain as it is. You lose any more and you won't even be capable of _not_ wetting yourself.”

Chuckling, Gwaine clapped Merlin on the shoulder before sliding his hand up the back of his neck and curling into the soft black hair. 

“Forget the blow job, just give him your daftest grin, bat those big, beautiful blue eyes at him and blame it all on me. I can take it.”

Merlin looked up to find warm brown eyes caressing his face. “You really can, can’t you?”

Gwaine slid his hand back down Merlin’s arm and threaded their fingers together. He tugged Merlin into a walk and they started back to Camelot at a leisurely pace. His fingers, still twined with Merlin’s neither slackened nor drew any tighter when he finally replied but his words wrapped around Merlin like the strongest possible embrace.

“For you, Merlin, I can take anything.”


End file.
